Thursday, April 02, 2015

Media, Gays Shut Down Indiana Christian Pizza Spot

Immediately after the owners of Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana publicly expressed support for the new state law protecting freedom of religion, Jessica Dooley, a coach at Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana invited all comers to join her in burning down the restaurant, forcing the business to close down and the family to leave town to go into hiding. Meanwhile, real Americans have coalesced via Internet to raise money for the courageous family facing inevitable bankruptcy.

"I'm just a little guy who had a little business that I probably don't have anymore. It doesn't change my attitude or stance, but it's hurtful that I can't publicly speak out about what I believe in saying."-- Kevin O'Connor, owner of Memories Pizza

Kevin O'Connor, 61, owns a pizza parlor in Walkerton, Ind., called Memories Pizza. On Wednesday, he and his co-owner daughter, Crystal, told a reporter from South Bend, Ind., ABC affiliate WBND that their establishment would have to refuse to cater a gay wedding, if asked.

"We service anyone. I don't care who it is. I don't care if they're covered with tattoos, I don't care if they got rings in their ears. I don't care if they're gay. The only thing I said was I cannot condone gay marriage," [Kevin O'Connor] said. "If [same-sex couples] want to come in the store, that's their privilege. They can do that. But I can't condone gay marriage, that's against my belief."

"I don't know if we will reopen, or if we can, if it's safe to reopen" Crystal O'Connor said in an interview with The Blaze television Wednesday.

The O'Connors were interviewed by WBND-TV in response to the Indiana Legislature's passage last week of the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act -- which critics say allows businesses to cite religious beliefs as a valid defense for discriminatory practices.

The business' Facebook and Yelp pages were bombarded with posts ridiculing the owners' position. Posts on the two pages were filled with comments and pictures, some lewd. The pizza shop closed for business on Wednesday.

The pizza parlor also became the subject of news reports nationwide, with The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, Politico and Gawker, among others, wading into the fray.

On Wednesday afternoon, James Cain stood in front of the pizzeria holding a hand-made cardboard sign with "bigots" written in ink. While he acknowledged the owners' religious beliefs, he questioned the idea that providing a service to a customer meant the owners endorsed that customer's lifestyle.

The [Walkerton Police Department] release said the department has finished an investigation into Jessica Dooley's tweet and has filed a case with the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office for possible charges of harassment, intimidation and threats.

Concord [school] Superintendent Wayne Stubbs confirms golf and softball coach Jess Dooley will be suspended until an "investigation is complete" after she tweeted "Who's going to Walkerton, IN to burn down #memoriespizza w me?"

The tweet has since been deleted and Dooley's account appears to have been deactivated. The Elkhart County Special Education Cooperative, where Dooley is also employed, has declined to comment on the situation.

The dust-up has proved a windfall of sorts for Memories. A GoFundMe page called “Support Memories Pizza” set up to raise $35,000 for the embattled restaurant got almost $50,000 from more than 1,300 donors in 11 hours — and donations continue to come in.

“Every day before we open the store, we gather and pray together,” reads a sign posted in [Memories Pizza], which also boasts numerous crosses, including one that says “Glorify the Lord.” “If there is something you would like us to pray for, just write it down and drop it in the box.”

Folks are standing with Memories Pizza, and they're donating thousands of dollars to support the Indiana business. Their contributions are helping it stay afloat after the owners' anti-gay comments made national headlines Wednesday.

A gofundme.com site was set up by Lawrence Billy Jones III late Wednesday. Jones is a contributor for The Blaze TV. The site quickly drew donations from people across the country who support Memories Pizza. "These are good people doing good things," Brian Schauerte posted,

The original fundraising goal on the site was $25,000. By 8:30 PM Wednesday more than $20,000 had been raised, and the goal was bumped up to $50,000.

More than 1,500 reviewers have chimed in on Yelp. Tori. H. from Hawaii writes "Pizza with a side order of bigot...and seriously, who caters pizza for a wedding?" Steven M. from Indianapolis says he'd never support a business that supports the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He then writes quote "enjoy going out of business." They're not all negative, though. Carl from Kokomo says "thank you for standing up for your beliefs. Don't let these detractors get to you. Nobody needs to be bullied into giving up their convictions."

Quinn Hochstetler says the outcry against the O'Connor's is going overboard.

"These are folks who go to bat for anyone in this community. Anybody that's needed a handup, volunteers, money. They've been there," he said about the O'Connors.

The Go-Fund me site set up to support the family has raised over 55,000 dollars. As some send money to the family, others are angry. One person posted on the website, "You are spending your money to fund hate."